June 24, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

Are inclusionary zoning policies good or bad? Download the PDF report (Effects of Inclusionary Zoning)

Published in March 2008 by the Furman Center for Real Estate & Urban Policy: The Effects of Inclusionary Zoning on Local Housing Markets: Lessons from the San Francisco, Washington DC and Suburban Boston Areas, the report defines inclusionary zoning (IZ) as an affordable housing tool that links production of affordable hosing to the production of market-rate housing. Policies could include requiring new residential developments to make a certain percentage of housing units affordable in exchange for density exemptions or fast-track permitting.

The report attempts to answer 3 key questions:

1) What kinds of jurisdictions have adopted IZ?

2) How much affordable housing has been produced in different IZ programs, and what factors have influenced production levels?

3) What effects has IZ had on the price and production of market-rate housing?

Proponents of IZ policies argue that these programs promote economic and racial integration when units are built on-site and developers can recoup costs through density exemptions. Opponents argue that IZ constricts housing developments and increases costs to market-rate units in order to subsidize the affordable units. In addition, the burden of providing affordable housing should not be solely the responsibility of developers.

Chinatown has been a model for inclusionary zoning policies. Developments that have been built or is being proposed such as the Archstone, Metropolitan, Kensington, Avana Lofts, 120 Kingston/Dainty Dot and Parcel 24 have ranged between 10%-50% in affordable units depending on cost and market factors. In the case of Kensington, the development received a Planned Development Area (PDA) designation which expedited the permitting process. Unfortunately, this report does not include the City of Boston in the data collection. The report noted: “While the City of Boston has an IZ program, it was not included in the database that forms the basis of our study because Boston has different authority over land use regulations than other jurisdictions in the state.”

In the report’s key findings on inclusionary zoning’s impact on production and prices of market-rate housing”

- In the San Francisco area, there is no evidence that IZ impacts either the prices or production of single-family houses

- In suburban Boston, IZ seems to have resulted in small decreases in production and slight increases in the prices of single-family houses.

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The Wikipedia describes the Furman Center as: “The Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy is a joint center at New York University School of Law and the NYU Wagner School of Public Service. The Furman Center was established in 1994 to create a place where people interested in affordable housing and land use issues could turn to for factual, objective research and information.”

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June 19, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

NIH Funds Highway Pollution & Health Study in Boston and Somerville

BOSTON (June 19, 2008) ─ Tufts University researchers and five Boston-area community groups received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to study the health effects of pollution exposure in neighborhoods adjacent to major highways. The 5-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS)  will fund a study of four communities, including Boston’s Chinatown and Somerville, MA.

A steering committee comprised of representatives from the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP), the Latin American Health Institute, the Chinese Progressive Association, the Committee for Boston Public Housing and the Chinatown Resident Association will lead the research in collaboration with principal investigator Doug Brugge, PhD. Brugge, director of the Tufts Community Research Center at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship, is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

STEP initially approached Brugge about the impact of highway pollution on Somerville neighborhoods next to Interstate 93 - the major highway leading in and out of Boston. “Meeting with other communities in the same situation, a literature review by Tufts faculty and more recent pilot studies on Somerville’s I-93 pollution all set the foundation for the great leap forward provided by this NIEHS grant,” says Wig Zamore of STEP. “We feel fortunate to be included in this scientific effort to learn more about these understudied exposures and to help better define their most serious impacts.” By actively engaging the Boston and Somerville communities, the Tufts investigators predict the study will yield results that more traditional research methods would not achieve.

As part of the study, to be known as the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health (CAFEH), participants will be asked to submit written surveys and blood samples to be tested for evidence of heart and lung disease.  “Many people live close to I-93 and I-95, and they may well be exposed to these tiny particles, but they aren’t aware of it,” says Bart Laws, PhD, senior investigator at the Latin American Health Institute. “The particles are invisible and odorless.”

Additionally, co-investigators from Tufts’ School of Engineering plan to outfit a van with air monitoring instrumentation that can measure concentrations of a variety of chemical pollutants. “Pollution levels are highest on the highway and gradually decrease to background levels as they drift away from the cars on the road,” says Brugge. “The air monitoring van will measure pollution levels within 200 to 300 meters of highways in communities where most of the residents can see the highway from their homes.”

In Boston, both I-93 and the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) border Chinatown. “Some residents have lived at the junction of two major highways for decades,” says Lydia Lowe, executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association. “What does it mean for the long-term health of Chinatown residents and what are the implications for future development and planning for our community? These are some of the questions we hope this study can help us to explore.”

Brugge says there is a large and growing body of scientific evidence that shows ambient pollution, even at levels below those set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is harmful to health. “Most of the studies to date examine regional effects of pollution,” Brugge says. “Only recently has research begun to suggest that highly concentrated local sources, such as highways may be even more hazardous. To our knowledge, much of the work to date on near highway exposures and health has come from Southern California, so the project represents an expansion to the northeastern United States.”

About Tufts University School of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University are international leaders in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, special combined degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations, as well as basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. The Sackler School undertakes research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its impact on the advancement of medical science.

If you are a member of the media interested in learning more about this topic, or speaking with a faculty member at the Tufts University School of Medicine, the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, or another Tufts health sciences researcher please contact Andrea Grossman at 617-636-3728 or Christine Fennelly at 617-636-3707.

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June 18, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

He’s got game: Jesus Shuttlesworth knocks down another 3-pointer. (Boston Globe Staff Photo / Barry Chin)

Celtics demolish the Lakers to chants of “Na na na na, na na na na… hey hey goodbye!”. Parade set on Thursday 11am.

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June 17, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

The Chinatown Blogger has been wrestling with this question for a while:

“Why no restaurant reviews on the site?”

Answer:  “What if the food was bad?  Does the Blogger slam someone’s business just cause their sushi wasn’t good…”

Then one reader said: “If you don’t have anything good to say, then don’t say it…” 

So the Blogger diligently followed this advice. That is why the Blogger has never written a restaurant review, despite the fact that the Blogger eats at different restaurants and bakeries everyday. Then the Blogger thought, what if he just wrote about places and food that he thought was unique or good in Chinatown?

So now this site is starting a new section for readers: The Pu Pu Chatter — if the pu pu is good, then the pu pu deserves chatter. If readers think there is something worth mentioning here, send in your posts and pics if available.

The first one up is Bao Bao Bakery on 77 Harrison Avenue. Bao Bao has an assortment of fancy looking cakes and pastries, which is good to look at but not so much for eating. But the Blogger doesn’t go to Bao Bao for the pastries, his favorite is their hot ginger honey milk tea for $2.50. This is black tea mixed with milk, honey, sugar and real pieces of ginger. (The ginger is safe to eat). The Blogger has been drinking this as a substitute for Dunkin coffee.

Cakes for eye candy, but would advise passing.

These pastries are worth picking up.

The holy grail (hyperbole) — hot honey ginger milk tea.

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June 17, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

Chinatown Bike-a-thon Sunday June 22, 2008
- 9:00am registration time
- 2:00pm picnic for riders & friends

A fun way to get to get some fresh air, exercise and support the Chinese Progressive Association’s youth leadership development program, Chinese Youth Initiative (CYI).

For over fourteen years, the Chinese Youth Initiative has brought together Asian American youth from all over the Boston area. The mission of CYI is to develop young leadership in the Chinese American community. A summer and year-round internship gives high school students the opportunity to get involved in the Chinatown community. This year, money raised will help us expand the program to include 6 full-year internships for high school students.

Route:
- Begin @ Herter Park (see map), 14 mile loop along the beautiful Charles River.

Please fill out registration form and send it back to us by June 15th. Sponsor sheets will be collected day of bike-a-thon. For more information visit http://www.cpaboston.org, email Pong Louie (pong@cpaboston.org) or call 617-357-4499.

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